


The Titan's Promise

by smurfette81013



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Genderswap!Luke, Good!Luke, Luke is a Tease, Luke needs a hug, Matchmaker Annabeth, OOC!Luke, OOC!Percy, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, crackfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-06 11:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4220736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smurfette81013/pseuds/smurfette81013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he joined Kronos, Luke was promised something. Everything he had done since the age of fifteen was because Kronos made the promise. When Luke's end of the bargain is fulfilled, Kronos screwed him over. Now Percy and co. are trying to help their new ally, but Luke's stubbornness hasn't gone away at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Promise Gone Wrong

He watched, terrified, from his place against the wall. His master had taken control of his new vessel, and was testing it out. When his master’s spirit took over the boy’s body, everything but his eyes had stayed the same. The boy’s icy blue eyes were now solid gold orbs.

‘That was almost me,’ the man against the wall thought. He was immediately glad he was a coward, at least in part. He did not want to be in the other boy’s position; sharing a body with the Titan King, Kronos.

“Luke Castellan, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you in all this excitement.” Kronos said, turning his attention to the man against the wall.

“Why did you back out of being my vessel, my equal?” Kronos asked. He stared at Luke with his piercing gold orbs. Luke nearly flinched away, not looking his master in the eye.  
You see, Luke knew perfectly well that he would never be Kronos’ equal. He knew that once Kronos was powerful enough to hold his own form, he would destroy Luke’s body and his soul. Luke knew that he would eventually die, but he always thought that when he died, at least he would be in the underworld, like all the rest of the dead, even if he was in the Fields of Punishment. 

“Master, you made a promise to me. You said that after I served you and prepared your army, that you would uphold your end of the bargain.” Luke said. 

What neither of the room’s occupants knew was that there were people outside the door, listening to their conversation. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Tyson the Cyclops and Grover Underwood were listening to the conversation, confused looks on all of their faces.

“What could Luke have wanted?” Percy asked Annabeth.

“I’ve been listening just as long as you have, Percy.” Annabeth snapped. She put a finger to her lips, silencing the rest. 

“Ah yes, I remember that promise.” Kronos said.

“Yes, I made a promise, so I will keep it.” Kronos decided.

A bright flash of golden light pulsed through the Princess Andromeda, nearly blinding the demigods, satyr and Cyclops hiding behind the door. They heard a gasp behind the door.

“How is this,” Luke began, his voice high, “healing my mother’s mind?” 

“Luke’s mom?” Percy whispered.

“I’d forgotten about Ms. Castellan. She was missing a few screws when Luke ran away, but when I met her, she was three times worse than when he left.” Annabeth whispered back. They pressed their ears against the door again.

“Your mother went insane worrying about the fate of a twenty-one year-old, blond haired, blue eyed boy named Luke. That boy no longer exists.” Kronos said calmly.  
Luke was in shock. All through the golden light, he was in the worst pain imaginable. He could feel his hair growing, his facial features changing. Some bones shrank and his muscles shifted. He felt something growing on his chest, and his member down south disappearing all together. He felt as though his head would explode from his very personality changing. When he opened his eyes, he was on the ground, curled up in the fetal position. He looked down, and nearly shrieked in shock. Kronos had turned him into a girl. 

‘Well, I guess I can’t think of myself as a guy anymore.’ Luke thought. 

“You were straight before I changed you, right?” Kronos asked mockingly.

“Yes.” Luke said, fearing where this was going.

“Well then, looks like you’ll be straight in this body too.” Kronos said, an evil grin appearing on his face.

“What’s he talking about, ‘straight in this body too’?” Grover asked. 

“I don’t know.” Annabeth whispered harshly. “Maybe if you shut up and listen, we’ll find out.” She suggested.

“I suggest you leave, before I change my mind about punishing you.” Kronos suggested calmly.

Luke opened the door, and the group scrambled to move and hide.

She walked out of the door, tears welling in her eyes. She was shuffling out the door, trying to keep her too-long jeans from falling. Her t-shirt went down to her mid-thighs and she was immensely glad that Kronos at least had the decency to flash a bra on her. Her long, silver-blond hair was falling into her face, and she didn’t care enough to move it out of her line of vision.

“I never should have believed him.” Percy heard the girl say.

“Luke?” Annabeth couldn’t help herself. She leapt out of her hiding place and crushed Luke in a hug that nearly put Tyson to shame. 

Luke tried to struggle out of Annabeth’s grasp, but the girl with golden hair was stronger than the nearly-silver-haired girl. 

“Annabeth, let go!” She said her voice a harsh whisper.

“What did he do to you?” Annabeth asked, looking over the ex-boy she still kind of loved. 

“What does it look like?” Luke exclaimed, gesturing all over her body.

“Oh Luke, I’m so sorry about your mom.” Annabeth said, pulling the newly-made-female Luke over to where the others were hiding. 

“It’s all my fault. I trusted that Kronos would heal her mind. He tricked me, and all the other demigod followers.” Luke said, looking down at her jean-covered feet. Annabeth gasped, getting an idea.

“Come back to Camp! Mr. D is the god of insanity; maybe he’ll heal your mom.” She said.

“Don’t you think I tried that, Annabeth? I asked him to heal her as soon as I found out that the Greek gods are real. I asked Apollo at one of the solstice meetings. Nobody was willing, so I went to Kronos.” Luke explained in a small voice.

Annabeth hugged Luke again, leading her over to where Grover, Tyson and Percy were still waiting. 

“Please tell me Jackson’s not here too.” Luke pleaded.

“Why are you so worried?” Annabeth asked, pulling Luke closer to the hiding spot.

“Because I’m weak like this, as a girl! I used to be bigger than him, stronger than him. Now he could sit on me and probably flatten me like a pancake!” Luke said.

“That’s all you’re worried about? Some stupid ‘I’m stronger than you’ thing you and Percy have going on? News flash; if you want to come back to Camp, you will have to deal with people you hate and hate you back.” Annabeth said, pulling on Luke’s wrist harder. 

“Annabeth, if you pull any harder, I’ll trip over my pant legs.” Luke said, her voice laced with annoyance.

“So roll them up when we stop.” Annabeth said, getting sick of Luke’s excuses for going slower. She was only postponing the inevitable. 

Annabeth could hear Luke grumbling behind her, but ignored it. Men -and men who had been magically turned into teenage girls- had habit of grumbling when they were annoyed.

By the time Annabeth had reached Percy’s hiding place, she was literally dragging Luke. 

“Percy, Grover, Tyson! C’mon! Luke won’t hurt us.” Annabeth said.

“They’re not the ones who have to worry,” Luke muttered darkly.

Tyson was the first to come out, giving Luke a wary look. She was sitting on a crate, rolling her pant legs up, exposing her small feet. Her flip-flops were now several sizes too big, and were barely staying on her feet. She kept trying to blow her long hair out of her face, but it was just as stubborn as she was, and refused to stay back. 

Percy and Grover came out at roughly the same time, and were shocked to the core. They had heard Luke’s new voice, but hadn’t seen her knew look, or gender. 

Percy didn’t know whether to laugh at Luke’s misfortune, or go over and comfort the girl. She still looked ready to cry and was about ready to rip her hair out just to keep it out of her face.

Tyson was just confused. Everybody who talked about Luke in camp always referred to him as a guy, and Tyson had seen him with his own eye before, and the girl sitting on the crates definitely wasn’t what he remembered. 

“If you’re all finished staring at me, I’d like to get moving before Kronos realises you’re here, and that I haven’t killed you.” Luke said miserably.

“Why are you here?” She added as an afterthought. 

“We were on a quest. Chiron wanted to know how many monsters were on the ship.” Grover replied.

“Whatever.” Luke said, walking in the opposite direction of where they needed to go.

“Where are you going?” Annabeth asked feeling rejected.

“To the Gift Shop; I need clothes that actually fit, and are meant for girls.” Luke said.

“You can borrow some of my stuff, just promise to come back to Camp with us.” Annabeth said.

“With all due respect Annabeth, my chest is a lot more developed than yours is. None of the shirts you have would fit.” Luke said, not even looking back. If she had, she would have seen the tomato-red, scandalized face Annabeth was sporting. 

“What about Camp?” She asked, trying not to let her humiliation get to her voice. Luke stopped at the end of the hall.

“I doubt I’d be welcome.” Luke said, before turning out of sight.


	2. Luke's Theft

“She’s right you know.” Grover said to Annabeth as they followed Luke to the gift shop.

“They welcomed Tyson, why wouldn’t she be welcome back?” Annabeth retorted.

“Tyson didn’t betray the Camp and all the people there.” Percy said. As much as he hated to admit it, Luke was right. He, no, she, wouldn’t be welcome.

“What about the Stoll brothers? They’re always talking about how they wish Luke would come back.” Annabeth argued. She wanted Luke back, and if the Luke she got back was a traitor and a girl, well, she was willing to take what she could get.

“Luke taught them everything they know. He was more of a mentor to them than Chiron is.” Annabeth continued.

“Annabeth, Luke has changed. He’s not even a guy anymore. Feeling like an outcast is the last thing she needs right now.” Percy said, seeing reason. (For once)

“But she won’t be an outcast, she’ll have me.” Annabeth said stubbornly. 

“Annabeth, Luke has trust problems. She’s stubborn and independent. She won’t like having you as a near bodyguard.” Grover said. 

“But,” Annabeth said.

“Let other girl choose. If she wants to come to Camp, she can. No make her.” Tyson said.

“Tyson has a point Annabeth. You can’t make her do anything.” Grover said.

At this point, they had reached the Gift Shop, which was really more of a boutique for both genders. 

Luke had grabbed a grey sweater, blue tank top, jean shorts, proper sized undergarments, socks and a pair of black converse by the time they were in there. She disappeared into the changing room, and came out a few minutes later wearing this new outfit. 

She threw her old clothes in a hiker’s backpack, along with a few pairs of socks, undergarments, sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt, a hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, flip-flops, and a bunch of hairbands.

She zipped up the main pouch of the backpack and walked over to the register.

“You’re paying for that stuff?” Grover asked, surprised.

“I’m a child of Hermes, Grover. I almost never pay for stuff.” Luke said, placing a box of matches, a huge wad of cash, a hundred or so Drachmas, a Swiss army knife and a packet of gum in the front of the bag. She grabbed a hair elastic and pulled her long hair into a messy bun on top of her head.

“Let’s get off this death trap.” Luke said, after snipping the wire that controlled the security sensors at the front of the store. 

“Agreed,” the others said. 

They made their way over to the ship’s main exit. Percy couldn’t help but compare the female Luke and the male Luke. Luke still had the scar, but almost nothing else was the same. Her features were still angular, but in a soft, feminine, sexy way. Her eyes had gone from their cold, dark blue to a sad, sapphire colour. Her hair had gone from sandy blond to the sexiest silver-blond in the world. She had shrunk at least a foot, and she now looked like the kind of athletic girl who wouldn’t be caught dead off of one of the school sport teams. 

She was right about not borrowing any of Annabeth’s shirts. Percy didn’t really look at girls’ chests, but it was hard not to look at Luke’s. She was barely fitting into a C-cup, where Annabeth was a B-cup. 

The group was lucky that the Princess Andromeda was currently docked. They got off without any trouble. Luke just typed in her passcode and the Cyclops’ guarding the entrance didn’t even look up from their card game as the group left. 

“Don’t worry Tyson; those Cyclops’ are treated decently.” Luke reassured, seeing Tyson’s sad face.

“So, anybody know where the nearest car dealership is?” Luke asked.

“You are not stealing a car, Luke!” Annabeth told her. 

“I promise not to steal a car, Annabeth.” Luke said, using the same tone as she did with Tyson.

In the end, Luke kept her promise. She hadn’t stolen a car, she stole a truck.

Annabeth sat in the back seat mumbling about Luke and her stupid loopholes and stealing habits as well as how Percy had cheated in their rock-paper-scissors match. They had called shotgun at exactly the same time, so when Tyson suggested the playground method of decision, the two had agreed. 

The odd thing was that even though Percy had won, he gave the seat to Tyson. Luke was happy about that. She didn’t have to sit next to Jackson, nor did she have to worry about Tyson squishing someone. 

By the time they were on the highway, Annabeth was about ready to die from holding back her questions. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you coming back to Camp with us? Why are we heading north, Camp is on the east side of the country? What are you going to tell everyone at Camp? What was it like, working for Kronos? Is there a spy in Camp? Will you be changing your name to something more feminine? Are you going back to school? Where are you going to-ʺ Annabeth gushed, listing questions as quickly as possible.

“Annabeth, slow down! I can only answer one question at a time!” Luke said.

“Sorry,” She muttered sheepishly.

“I haven’t decided if I’m coming back to Camp yet, we’re heading north because they won’t look for us in Canada. If I do go back to Camp, I’ll probably just tell the truth. Working for Kronos was the worst thing imaginable, yes there is a spy in Camp, and I may change my name. I don’t know about school, and I have no clue what your last question would have been.” Luke responded.

“I was going to ask where you are going to live.” Annabeth said, before remembering something. “What do you mean there’s a spy in Camp?” 

“Exactly that. Kronos blackmailed one of the campers into being his spy.” Luke stated. 

“Who is it?” Percy asked.

“It’s not my place to tell.” Luke said, gripping the steering wheel. 

“Wait! How are we going to get into Canada with a stolen truck and underage driver?” Annabeth asked.

“A friend of mine works on the US side of the boarder. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll call off the Canadians and let us through. Besides, according to the dealership’s computers, this truck is being transferred and Luke Castellan is delivering it to a dealership in Windsor, Ontario. Windsor is a boarder city, so we can easily use the same lie in reverse to get the truck back across the border.”

“What about the underage driver thing?” Grover asked.

“It won’t be a problem if we don’t get pulled over, so no stealing.” Luke said with a smirk.

“What city does Windsor connect to?” Percy asked, wanting to know just how far east they were heading.

“Detroit, Michigan.” Luke answered.

“Why not just go further east, through a boarder in Quebec?” Annabeth asked.

“Three reasons. First: You didn’t say the province name correctly. It’s Québec, not Quebec. There’s an accent over the first ‘e’. (“Oh, whatever.”) Second: I know my way around Ontario better than Québec, and I don't know French, so I can't read the road signs. Third: We will need to stop for provisions and such, and one of my friends lives roughly three hours north-east of Windsor.” Luke said, merging lanes on the highway. 

“Where exactly is your friend’s house. Three hours away from Windsor isn’t exactly helpful.” Grover said.

“About forty-five minutes south-west of Niagara Falls. I guess we can go through the boarder at Niagara Falls. It’s only about nine hours from New York.” Luke said. 

“So is this person a genuine friend, or is she a friend like the person at the boarder?” Annabeth asked.

“Genuine. Kronos wanted to get her into his ranks, but she spoke on behalf of most Canadian demigods when she declined.” 

“How many demigods live in Canada?” Percy asked. 

“About fifty that my friend knows of. They all live packed into certain areas so they can fend off the monsters.” Luke said.

“Why are there so few Canadian demigods? Is it because America has a larger population?” Annabeth asked. 

“No. The further north the gods get, the less control they have over their domains. Everything becomes wild, untamed. That’s why Canada has so many natural resources. Lower population, and less interference from the gods.”

“How do they survive then? Without godly interference?” Grover asked. 

“Demigods, nymphs and satyrs. My friend runs this massive computer network for demigods all across Canada. They each have businesses that have some sort of front. I believe one of the newer ones is posing as a woman-empowering resource company. Their job is keeping monsters away from the trees and wildlife, as well as mortals. I believe its run by a daughter of Athena, a son of Demeter and one of my bothers.” Luke said.

“So, how far are we from the Canadian border?” Grover asked, not seeing any signs.

“About an hour away. We’ll be in British Columbia though. We have to drive through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba before entering Ontario.” Luke said.

“Wow, that’s not much, is it?” Tyson asked.

“About three-quarters of the drive will be in Canada.” Luke said, not getting into mileage.

“Canada’s provinces must be huge.” Grover said.

“Well, ten of them plus three territories, which are generally bigger than provinces, make up a country larger than the US.” Luke said. 

“Wow.” Percy said. He wondered why the US had so many states where Canada had so few provinces and territories.

“Hey Tyson, why don’t you see if you can find a good radio station?” Luke suggested, seeing that the big guy was starting to fidget. 

“Okay.” Tyson said. 

“So, Grover; any luck with the search for Pan?” Luke asked, trying to ease the tension that had grown.

“No luck.” Grover said, depressed. 

“Oh, maybe he’s in the Amazon or something.” Luke suggested, trying to lighten the satyr’s mood. 

“What about you Annabeth? Anything new in the world of architecture?” Luke asked the golden-haired girl.

“Of course, I’ve been working on. . .” Annabeth began, before the boys and Luke zoned out. 

By the time they reached the border, Annabeth was still going.

“Alright, Annie,” Luke began.

“Don’t call me Annie.” Annabeth huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Sure, anyways we’re at the border, so everyone be quiet. My ‘friend’,” Luke made air quotes with her fingers around the word friend. “Is working the gate we’re at.” 

“Passports and registration please,” The man said. Luke glared at the attendant, and he paled.

“Mr. Castellan, what happened to you?” He asked.

“Its Miss. Castellan now and you will let us through, without telling anybody we are here.” Luke said, her glare becoming colder. 

“Of course, miss.” He said, lifting the bar that had been lowered in front of the truck.

“See, simple.” Luke said, driving away from the border, further into British Columbia.


	3. British Columbia

At about ten o’clock, Luke was barely keeping her eyes open, so they pulled into a motel. 

“I’ll get the rooms.” Percy said. 

The front desk attendant was very kind, not that Percy was surprised. He had grown up under the assumption that all Canadians were nice, helpful, polite tree-huggers. He had gotten two adjoining rooms, and had gotten a map of the town as well. 

He went back to the truck to see Luke passed out in the driver’s seat while Annabeth argued with Grover about Luke coming to camp. Tyson was fiddling with a piece of wire, which had been bent into the shape of a bunny. 

“I got the rooms.” Percy said, breaking up Annabeth and Grover’s argument. Tyson looked up, momentarily forgetting about the wire bunny. 

“Should we wake Luke?” Annabeth asked, giving her bag to Tyson, who had offered to carry the bags.

“No, she might kill whoever tries.” Grover said. They looked over to Percy, who paled slightly.

“Looks like Luke is getting carried.” Annabeth said, unbuckling Luke’s seat belt. Percy handed Annabeth the room keys. He picked Luke up, surprised at how light she was. The demigods had booked rooms 15 and 16. Percy tried to set Luke down in her bed, but she had wrapped her arms around Percy’s neck, and refused to let go. It seemed as though Luke was stronger in her sleep than she was while conscious. 

“Having trouble there, Percy?" Annabeth asked from her bed. She had pulled out a toothbrush and pair of shorts from her bag. Percy glared at her, and tried to put Luke down. It didn’t work.

Percy had gotten Luke onto the bed, and had almost slipped out of her grasp, but she tightened her arm and pulled him closer. He lost his footing, and landed on the bed, on top of Luke. She was still asleep, so she was unaware of the blush that was dominating Percy’s face, but Annabeth didn’t miss it. 

She snapped a picture with her cell phone camera, just in case she needed to blackmail one of them later, before heading into the bathroom to get ready for the night. Percy was still trying to wiggle out of Luke’s death-grip when Annabeth came out of the bathroom and went to bed. 

“Good-night, Percy.” She said, pretending that seeing her crush in her old love interest’s arms didn't bother her. She forced herself to sleep, not bothering to help Percy at all. He needed to see that Luke wouldn’t hurt him now. 

As Annabeth drifted into Morpheus’ domain, Percy was still very much awake. He was trying to keep his member from getting hard at his position over the new Luke, and was still red as a tomato. 

Luke was mumbling in her sleep, and had rolled over, finally letting go of Percy. She didn’t really let him get up though. Her head was now on his chest, her hand resting on his stomach. She curled up next to him, and Percy was unsure about what to do. He didn’t want Luke to wake up the next morning to find that she was using him as a pillow, but at the same time, he didn’t want to wake her now by moving. 

Percy hadn’t made a decision that night, he just fell asleep, Luke now half on top of him. She was covering his chest with her head, hair and one arm, clutching his shirt in the other, and had wrapped one of her legs around his. 

His last coherent thought before he went to sleep, was ‘Luke and Annabeth are going to kill me when they wake up.’

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

When Luke woke up, the first thought that came to mind was ‘It was all a dream, when I open my eyes, I’ll be in my room, on the ship, still just as male as I was when I was born. I did not get turned into a girl as part of a twisted promise; I did not get overpowered by Annabeth and I did not steal a truck to get myself, Percy Jackson, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson the Cyclops across the Canadian border.’

She snapped her eyes open, and the first thing she saw was the inside of a room that definitely wasn’t hers.

“Damn,” she muttered.

That was when she felt her bed move. She shifted her head, and realized that she had somehow managed to climb on top of Perseus Jackson in her sleep. She was using his chest as a body pillow, and her legs were tangled with his. 

‘Well, this is a situation I never thought I would be in,’ Luke thought, getting off of Percy. His arm was around her waist, but he wasn’t restricting her in any other way. She rolled off of him, and went to go to the bathroom. She felt an odd wetness though.

‘Oh gods, Percy Jackson of all people turns me on.’ She thought. She entered the bathroom and splashed some sold water on her face. 

She looked at her new reflection in the mirror, and nearly gasped. She had seen glimpses of her eyes in the side mirrors and in the windows, but she was surprised by her looks.  
She looked like a younger, fairer-haired, female version of her father. Their eyes were now exactly the same shade of blue, but she had lost her tan. Her hair was the same colour her mother’s had been before it went completely white, and it was still in its messy bun, although it had fallen down to the nape of her neck. 

All the scars on her hands and arms were gone, but the one scar she hated was still on her face, maiming her new beauty. She felt like throwing something at the mirror, but restrained herself. She knew that ruining the mirror wouldn’t make the scar disappear. 

She decided to take a shower. She was due for one, and she was pretty sure she smelled like Percy. 

She turned the shower on, and set it to the hottest setting she could tolerate. She had fun testing out all of the little soaps and conditioners that the motel had provided; something she definitely wouldn’t have done as a guy. 

When she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel (which was a little too short), and got out. Her hair was dripping onto the floor, so she wrapped it in a towel the way she had seen the Aphrodite girls do it. 

That was when she remembered that she had forgotten her bag out in the main room. She had seen it lying next to her bed, but had forgotten to grab it. Now she would have to go out in just a short little towel to get her bag, which was likely in Percy’s line of sight. If he woke up and saw her in just a towel, she was pretty sure she’d die of embarrassment.  
She took her hair out of its towel and placed it so that if Percy saw her while she was crouched down, her hair would form somewhat of a curtain, blocking her chest from view.  
She crept towards the door, making as little noise as possible. She had gotten good at it because of her position in Kronos’ army.

She cracked the door open and looked out to where Annabeth and Percy were still sleeping. Percy was facing towards the bag, but was sound asleep. He was reaching around for the blankets, having lost his main source of heat, but soon found the blanket.

She made her way out of the bathroom as quietly as possible. Annabeth was a sound sleeper when in an actual bed, but Percy could be woken by a mere intake of breath. It was a miracle the shower hadn’t woken him up.

She bent down to grab her bag, but her wet hair brushed against Percy’s face, which was on the very edge of the bed. 

She held her breath, which nearly turned into a strangled cry when his eyes began to open. His eyes were half open, looking directly at her blushing face. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and opened them fully. Percy looked right at Luke’s bent, barely covered form and blushed slightly as he saw that only half of the mounds on her chest were covered by the towel. He turned away, and decided to try and pretend that he hadn’t seen anything. 

“Good morning,” He said, trying to ease the tension a little bit. 

“Good morning,” Luke replied, hastily grabbing the bag and retreating into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.

She let the towel drop to the floor once she was sure the door wasn’t opening any time soon. She scrambled to get clean panties on. She put her extra bra on, as well as her sweat pants on, but she put her tank-top back on instead of her long sleeved shirt. She was about to put on her deodorant on when she saw all the hair that was under her arms.  
She grabbed the Swiss army knife from her bag and flipped the knife up. 

‘I never thought I’d have to shave my underarms.’ She thought, ridding herself of the annoying hair. 

While she was at it, she got rid of the rest of her unappealing body hair. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly had this urge to keep her body as hair-free as possible.  
She finished cleansing and deodorizing herself before brushing her hair. Her bangs were far too long, as they were the same length of the rest of her hair. She groaned, before sweeping the hair out of her face and heading out of the bathroom. 

She blushed as she saw Percy. He was out by the truck with Tyson, but she could see him through the window. Part of her was glad that Percy had turned away, but another part had been hoping he would reach out and squeeze something. 

She was terrified. Her brain didn’t seem to be her own anymore. She was thinking like a teenage girl, and she hated it. 

She made sure she had everything in her bag before heading out to the truck. 

“Good morning!” Tyson exclaimed, crushing her in a hug. 

“Good morning Tyson,” She wheezed. Tyson put her back down, before putting her bag in the back of the truck. 

“Let’s get moving. Percy, did you pay for the rooms upfront yesterday?” Luke asked. 

“Yeah. I had the feeling you wouldn’t want to stay put for long.” Percy answered, trying not to think about what he had seen that morning. 

“Alright. We’ll stop for breakfast somewhere, and I want to get my hair cut before we leave town too.” Luke said. 

“Why? Your hair looks nice long.” Annabeth said. 

“Annabeth, it goes down to my butt. It’s impractical.” Luke said, getting into the truck.

“Where’s Grover?” Luke asked. She didn’t really like the satyr, but she wasn’t about to abandon him in Canada. 

“Bathroom,” Percy answered. 

Grover came out of the motel room a few minutes later, before dropping off the keys in the office. He got into the truck, sitting in the seat behind Luke’s. Annabeth sat behind Tyson’s seat, and Percy in the middle. 

“So, where do you guys want to go for breakfast?” Luke asked. 

“Are there any good coffee shops around here?” Annabeth asked, feeling a craving for the caffeinated drink. 

“There’s a Timmies in almost every town. It’ll be easy to find one.” Luke said, driving out of the parking lot. 

“Timmies?” Grover asked. 

“Tim Hortons. It’s a chain of coffee shops in Canada. It’s about as popular as McDonald’s is in the States.” Luke said. 

“Do they have peanut butter?” Tyson asked.

“I don’t think so, but we can go to the store and get a jar.” Luke said, pulling up in front of the coffee shop. Everybody began to get out of the truck, but Luke stopped them.  
“Hang on, the mist is thin up here.” Luke said, manipulating the mist to cling to Tyson especially. 

“That should work,” Luke muttered to herself, before grabbing the billfold from the glove box, where she had stashed it at the border.

She took a few Canadian twenties out of the fold, before stuffing them the large pockets of the huge, baggy grey sweatpants she was wearing. She had pulled the adjustable strings to the tightest they could go, and they were still hanging low on her hips. 

“Let’s go.” She said, stepping down from the truck. 

There was no line in the small restaurant, so Luke walked right up to the counter and ordered her usual. A medium double-double and fruit explosion muffin. 

“What do you guys want?” She asked them. 

“I’ll have a blueberry muffin and medium hot chocolate please.” Percy said. 

“I’ll have a Cappuccino and a Bagel BLT please.” Annabeth said.

“Black coffee and an apple fritter please.” Grover responded.

“Water and a sausage-and-egg wrap please.” Tyson said, looking up at the menu.

“Alright, that’ll be,” The girl behind the counter began. Luke handed over the necessary money and waited for the order. 

“You guys go get a table, Percy and I will get the food.” Luke said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

After Annabeth and the others had walked away, Luke turned to Percy.

“Care to explain why we were sharing a bed last night?” She asked, glaring up at him. Percy was now taller than her; something she absolutely hated. 

“You fell asleep in the truck, and Annabeth made me carry you to your room, but you had your arms around my neck and wouldn’t let go, so I ended up in bed with you. I didn’t do anything though.” Percy said, blushing. 

Luke narrowed her eyes at him, but accepted the answer. 

“So, why is Annabeth so worried about you getting a haircut?” Percy asked, changing the subject. 

“Thalia used to have long hair, back when we first met. She and Annabeth used to do each other’s hair when we weren’t on the run. Thalia cut it all off though, and Annabeth lost that whole sisterly bonding moment. She probably thinks that I’ll let her play with it now, like she did with Thalia’s.” Luke explained. 

“Why don’t you cut it so that it’s out of the way, but she can still do something with it?” Percy asked.

“Because I don’t want her getting attached. If she gets attached, then I’ll have to stay with her. I don’t want her shutting down or something because I had a chance to start fresh and didn’t include her.” Luke said. 

“Would it really be that bad; including her in your life?” Percy asked. 

“Look Jackson. How would you react if you were turned into a teenage girl? I’m surprised I haven’t gone into shock or anything.” She said, taking the tray of drinks while Percy grabbed the food. 

************************************************************************************************************************************************** 

“I want my hair short.” Luke said to the stylist. She had gone to the first salon she had seen. Not one of the chain-branch haircutters, but to an actual salon. She had heard the demigods on the Princess Andromeda complain about the quality of style in those places.

“How short? Shoulder length, chin length?” The stylist asked, running her fingers through Luke long, fair hair. 

“Very short; just longer than a guy’s. Do whatever you think would look good.” Luke said. She had never paid attention to feminine hairstyles, since she couldn’t care less. The stylist squealed. 

“Oh I know the perfect style for you!” She said, getting to work.

Half an hour later, Luke’s head felt much lighter. The stylist had convinced her to donate her hair to make a wig for Cancer, so Luke’s stylist stood back, looking proudly at her work, holding a long ponytail of Luke’s beautiful hair in her hands. 

“Amazing, isn’t it?” The stylist gushed.

“It looks great,” Luke said, pretending to be excited. Her hair was now in layered spikes, making her look like Alice Cullen from ‘Twilight’. 

“Hello there miss pixie.” Percy said 

“Call me a pixie again and I’ll shove a dollar-store magic wand up your ass, Jackson.” Luke said. Percy paled a little, but replied, “Whatever you say, Tinker Bell.” 

“What makes you think calling me Tinker Bell is any better than pixie?” Luke asked, giving the woman at the counter the money she owed. 

“Because in Peter Pan, Tink is like Peter Pan’s right-hand-woman and” Percy began.

“Where exactly are you going with this, Jackson?” Luke asked, glaring at the raven haired teen.

“I wasn’t finished, Luke. I was going to say that Tink is Peter Pan’s right-hand-woman, and he’s in charge of the Lost Boys, who are kind of like thieves.” 

“Bit of a stretch, Jackson. Are you sure it’s not because Tinker Bell’s a pixie?” Luke asked, leading the group back to the truck. 

“I’m pretty sure she’s a fairy.” Percy said. 

That launched a major argument in the truck. Percy sat behind Luke in on the drive, so Annabeth was in the middle.

“If those two are going to flirt like this the whole way to New York, I’m going to rip my ears out.” Annabeth complained. 

“Now you know how everybody at Camp feels when you and Percy are at it.” Grover muttered to her. 

“Percy and I do not flirt, Grover.” Annabeth huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Sure you don’t,” Grover said sarcastically, looking out his window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the Americans out there, I would like to point out that there are a few Tim Horton's in the US, so it's not completely foreign, and a double-double is a coffee with 2 sugars and 2 creams. I found out the hard way that some Americans don't know that. I was in New York last summer (one of the reasons I know that the drive from Toronto to New York is just over 10 hours if you don't hit traffic) and I went to Tim Horton's because I was tired of McDonalds. I tried to order a double-double, but the lady had no freaking clue what I was talking about. The fact that she spoke SPANISH and I had to try to explain it using the little Spanish I learned while living in California wasn't helpful, but was a great source of amusement for my family. They stopped laughing once they realized they would have to try to explain what they wanted using hand signals though ;)


	4. Saskatchewan

“I’m bored.” Percy announced after five hours of driving. He had tried looking out the windows, but there was nothing but grain fields to look at. He had also tried listening to the radio and arguing with Luke, but his ADHD was making it especially hard to sit still.

Tyson had made a few dozen wire animals. They had started out as just outlines, but he had eventually made them into little 3-D figures.

Grover was munching on the empty pop cans that the demigods had emptied.

Luke was surviving off of coffee and Coke; only stopping for bathroom breaks and to get more food or gas. Annabeth couldn’t remember the last time Luke had slept.

“Luke, you need to sleep,” Percy said, launching himself forwards to yank the wheel to the right. Luke had begun to swerve into the ditch, and hadn’t even realized that she was going to crash.

“No,” She said, yawning. “We need to keep going.” She said, taking another sip of coffee.

“Luke, pull over. Now.” Percy snapped, surprising Luke. She did as Percy asked. She had no wish to be overpowered by the green-eyed boy. Percy reached over Grover and opened the door. He walked over to the driver side of the car, and opened Luke’s door.

“Get out.” He said, undoing her seatbelt.

“No! You are not driving!” She said firmly. Her eyes were barely staying open, but she was stubborn.

“You can move on your own, or I can move you.” Percy said. Luke pouted, but the ‘kicked puppy’ look she had managed to perfect was useless while she was barely keeping her eyes open.

“Alright, you asked for it Tink.” Percy said, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder.

“Jackson, put me down!” She screamed at him.

“No!” He yelled back, passing her to Grover, who quickly strapped her into the middle seat. Percy ran back around to the driver seat. Percy didn’t really know how to drive, but he doubted he’d get pulled over in the middle of nowhere.

Not even two minutes later, Luke was sound asleep, using Annabeth’s shoulder as a pillow. It was the first time in the three days she had been a girl that Luke dreamt.

_She was standing in the middle of a massive factory. There were thousands of conveyor belts transporting packages to all different places in the factory. At first she thought she was in one of Kronos’ supply rooms, but then she saw two creatures she never thought she would see again._

_George and Martha._

_They were slithering around, most likely looking for rats when they saw her._

_“Lukey! Lukey!” They chanted, slithering around her feet. “_

_How can you two see me? This is a dream.” She mumbled, mostly to herself._

_“_ _Not important; Lord Hermes misses you, come see him with us!” George said._

_“_ _Hermes wants nothing to do with me or any of his other kids.” Luke snapped at the snakes._

_“No, no, no! Not true! Lord Hermes loves you and all other demigods, come see him!” Martha said._

___"Do I have a choice?” Luke asked the snakes._

_“_ _Nope! Do you have any rats for me?” George said/asked._

_“No; do I look like I carry dead rats around with me?” Luke responded._

_"Do you want us to answer that?” Martha asked, slithering into the pocket in Luke’s sweatpants._

_“To Lord Hermes, and beyond!” George said, ushering Luke forwards._

_“Stupid snakes and their partial Toy Story quotes.” Luke muttered. At what Luke assumed was the center of the factory, Hermes stood talking on his cell phone, checking something on an IPad._

_“Lord Hermes, look who we found!” Martha said excitedly. Hermes turned around and looked towards where Martha’s voice was coming from._

_“Luke!” He said, both his phone and IPad disappearing as the god launched forwards. Luke cringed and tried to turn away, but instead of the beating and/or tongue lashing she had expected, she was wrapped in a tight hug. After a few minutes, Hermes seemed to compose himself. He held his favourite child at an arm’s length to get a good look at her. “_

_Oh Luke, I’m so glad you’re okay!” He said, hugging her again. She had only seen his face for two seconds, but she saw the tears in his eyes. He was glad that she was unharmed? He didn’t show any concern or sympathy on her quest to the Garden of the Hesperides. Where was his apparent concern for her safety then?_

_“Where was your concern back when I looked up to you?” Luke demanded, voicing her thoughts. Hermes was surprised at her accusation, but instead of answering, the father of many looked down in shame. Luke wasn’t quite finished though._

_“Where were you when I was little and my mother was ripping my shoulders out of their sockets, screaming about my fate? Where were you when I ran away when I was nine? Where were you when Thalia, Annabeth and I were running for our lives? Where was your concern when I came back from my quest with a massive cut on my face that would forever show my failure?” Luke asked her father, her voice cracking at the end. She had tears running down her face, showing how upset she was by that._

_“Luke, I’m so sorry.” Hermes said weakly, his emotion showing in his voice._

_“No, I don’t think you are. You never come to visit us at Camp, and when we go on a quest to get your attention; to prove ourselves, you don’t give us a second thought!” She sobbed._

_“I know, Luke. I’m sorry. I’ve been a horrible father. I should have been there for you. I should have been there for Travis, and Connor, and Gus, and Chris. I should have been there, but I wasn’t. It’s the biggest regret I have; not being able to raise and my children along with their mothers. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you guys.” Hermes said, tears leaking from his eyes._

_“If you care about us, then why haven’t you done anything about this?” Luke demanded, gesturing to her new body._

_“Luke, I can’t do anything about that. Maybe Poseidon could, or another one of Kronos’ kids, but the power of the gods is diluted every generation. I don’t have enough power to fix it. I’m so sorry.” Hermes admitted._

_“_ _If you’re truly sorry, you’ll pay attention to your children. You’ll care for them, you’ll help them and you’ll answer their prayers. You’ll be a real father.” She said, looking Hermes right in the eye._

Her eyes snapped open before she could hear Hermes’ response.

“Are you okay, Luke?” Percy asked, looking over the seat at her. They had pulled into a diner parking lot, and everybody in the truck was looking at her with various amounts of concern. Annabeth looked ready to cry, she was so relieved that Luke was awake.

“We’ve been trying to wake you for twenty minutes! You’ve been out for hours!” Annabeth cried.

“Sorry, demigod dreams are hard to wake up from.” Luke said, still trying to wrap her head around everything. Her conversation with Hermes hadn’t lasted nearly an hour, let alone several.

“But you were thrashing around!” Annabeth said, clinging to Luke’s arm.

“Was it Kronos?” Grover asked.

“No, it was my father.” Luke whispered.

“Then why were you freaking out?” Annabeth asked.

“I was hysterical in the dream.” Luke admitted.

“Why?” Tyson asked.

“He; he apologised,” Luke said.

“I’m sensing there’s more,” Percy said.

“I accused him of lying about being sorry, and made my feelings known.” Luke said.

“What?” They all yelled at her.

“I said what I’ve wanted to say my whole life. I told him what do to avoid Kronos gaining followers, and I’ve told him how to be a good parent. Whether he’s going to take my advice to heart or not is pretty much unknown.” Luke admitted, taking a sip of water.

“Alright; I say we get moving before Luke pisses off a god or goddess that isn’t her parent.” Annabeth said.

“I’m driving.” Luke said, climbing over Annabeth to get out of the truck.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Grover said.

“Don’t argue G-man. Tink is a fairy on a mission.” Percy said, getting out of the truck and moving to the back seat.

“Watch it Jackson.” Luke warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit shorter than the others, but it's done and edited...


End file.
